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IELTS Speaking Part 1: Home and Accommodation Questions and Answers

IELTS Speaking Part 1 · Evergreen guide · Updated 2026-08-12

Learner describing a home and neighbourhood for IELTS Speaking Part 1
IELTSpeaking teaching visual

Home and accommodation are familiar Part 1 themes. Use this evergreen guide to practise describing the type of home you live in, the surrounding area, what you like, what you would change and where you may live in the future.

Question playlist

Home and accommodation Part 1 questions

Move one question at a time: listen, answer, compare and retry. The complete question text remains in the page HTML for accessibility and search.

  • 01Do you live in a house or an apartment?
  • 02Can you describe the place where you live?
  • 03How long have you lived there?
  • 04What do you like most about your home?
  • 05What is the area or neighbourhood like?
  • 06Is there anything you would like to change about your home or area?
  • 07Do you plan to continue living there in the future?
  • 08What kind of home would you like to live in one day?

Practice status: Evergreen Part 1 guide. Home is named as a familiar Speaking Part 1 theme in official IELTS preparation material; the model answers and teaching notes on this page are independent IELTSpeaking examples, not official test answers. See the official format sources.

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Model answers, heard side by side

Start with the simpler answer, switch bands to hear how the same task can be developed, then record a personal response. These are teaching examples, not official answers or score guarantees.

Do you live in a house or an apartment?

Band 6 model

I live in a two-bedroom apartment with my parents. It is on the sixth floor of a fairly new building, about twenty minutes from the city centre. It is not very large, but it has enough space for the three of us.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger answer stays personal while adding precise details about the building, location, transport and layout. The details extend the answer naturally instead of turning it into a memorised description.

Can you describe the place where you live?

Band 6 model

My apartment has a living room, a small kitchen, two bedrooms and one bathroom. It is quite bright because the main windows face south. The furniture is simple, and we have a small balcony with a few plants.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger model organises the description from the overall layout to specific features and explains their effect. Phrases such as “open-plan living area” and “natural light” are precise without sounding forced.

How long have you lived there?

Band 6 model

I have lived there for about five years. My family moved in when I started university because our old home was too far from campus. I am used to the area now, and most of the places I need are nearby.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger response handles the time expression accurately, gives the reason for moving and shows how the speaker's feelings changed. That creates a connected mini-story rather than a bare duration.

What do you like most about your home?

Band 6 model

The best thing is the location. There is a metro station near my building, as well as a supermarket and a park. It is easy to get to work, and I can go for a walk without travelling far.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger answer develops one central idea through a useful contrast: convenient but quiet. It also uses natural home-and-area collocations rather than a list of unrelated adjectives.

What is the area or neighbourhood like?

Band 6 model

It is a quiet residential area with a mix of families and older people. There are several small shops, cafés and a primary school. It can get busy in the morning, but in the evening it is usually peaceful.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger model describes appearance, housing, facilities, atmosphere and one realistic exception. This gives the listener a clear picture while keeping the answer suitable for Part 1.

Is there anything you would like to change about your home or area?

Band 6 model

I would like a larger kitchen because two people cannot cook comfortably at the same time. In the area, I think there should be more bicycle parking. Apart from those things, I am happy living there.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger answer separates changes to the home from changes to the area, then qualifies the criticism. The conditional form and precise explanation add range while remaining easy to follow.

Do you plan to continue living there in the future?

Band 6 model

I will probably stay there for another year or two because it is affordable and convenient for work. Later, I may move closer to the city centre if I find a better job, but I have not made a firm plan yet.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger answer distinguishes short- and long-term plans and uses appropriately cautious future language. It sounds realistic because the decision depends on work and cost rather than an absolute prediction.

What kind of home would you like to live in one day?

Band 6 model

I would like to live in a medium-sized house near a park. I do not need a huge home, but I would like a garden and a quiet room where I could work. Good public transport would also be important.

Speaking criteria note: The stronger response prioritises realistic features and explains the trade-off between peace and access. Specific compound adjectives and noun phrases provide range without relying on exaggerated luxury vocabulary.

How to answer questions about where you live

Lead with the exact information requested, then make the answer personal with one concrete detail. For example, identify the type of home before describing its location; give the length of time before explaining why you moved; or name one feature before explaining why it matters to you.

  1. Answer: state the home, feature, preference or plan directly.
  2. Locate: add a useful detail about size, layout, area, transport or time.
  3. Explain: give one reason, effect, contrast or short personal example.
  4. Stop naturally: do not turn a familiar Part 1 question into a prepared speech.

Useful home and accommodation vocabulary

Learn these items as complete word partnerships. Replace the example detail with information about your own home before recording an answer.

Word or phraseMeaningNatural collocationExample
accommodationthe place where someone lives or staysstudent accommodation / rented accommodationI currently live in rented accommodation near my workplace.
residential areaan area used mainly for homes rather than offices or factoriesa quiet residential areaMy flat is in a quiet residential area outside the centre.
well-connectedeasy to reach by public transport or roadsa well-connected neighbourhoodThe neighbourhood is well-connected, so I rarely need a car.
within walking distanceclose enough to reach comfortably on footwithin walking distance of the stationMost of the shops I use are within walking distance.
spacioushaving plenty of rooma spacious living roomThe living room is spacious enough for the whole family.
compactsmall but arranged efficientlya compact apartmentIt is a compact apartment, but the layout is practical.
crampeduncomfortably small or crowdeda cramped kitchenThe kitchen feels cramped when more than one person is cooking.
open-plandesigned without many internal wallsan open-plan kitchen and living areaWe have an open-plan kitchen and living area.
natural lightdaylight that enters through windowsget plenty of natural lightThe room gets plenty of natural light in the afternoon.
overlookto have a view of something from above or nearbyoverlook a park / courtyardOur balcony overlooks a small communal garden.
amenitiesuseful local facilities and serviceslocal amenitiesThe area has useful local amenities, including a clinic and a library.
commutethe regular journey between home and work or studya short commute / shorten my commuteMoving closer to the metro shortened my daily commute.
neighbourhoodthe local area around a person's homea friendly neighbourhoodIt is a friendly neighbourhood where people greet each other.
set back frompositioned some distance away from a road or boundaryset back from the main roadThe building is set back from the main road, so it is fairly quiet.
move in / move outstart or stop living in a homemove into a new flat / move out next yearWe moved into this apartment five years ago.
make good use of spacearrange limited space effectivelya layout that makes good use of spaceThe built-in storage makes good use of the available space.

Common mistakes

  • Listing rooms and furniture without answering the question first.
  • Calling every small home “cramped”; compact can be positive when the space is arranged efficiently.
  • Memorising a luxury dream-home description that does not sound personally plausible.
  • Forcing several idioms into a short answer instead of using precise everyday vocabulary.
  • Confusing your current home, hometown and neighbourhood when the examiner asks about only one of them.

Home and accommodation FAQ

How long should a Home and Accommodation Part 1 answer be?

Give a direct answer and develop it with one reason, detail or example. Two to four natural sentences are often enough, but there is no required sentence or word count.

Should I say flat or apartment in IELTS Speaking?

Both are correct. Flat is especially common in British English, while apartment is common in several varieties of English. Use the word that feels natural to you and stay consistent.

Do I need to memorise advanced vocabulary about homes?

No. Learn accurate words and natural collocations that fit your real home. A precise phrase such as within walking distance is more useful than a rare word used incorrectly.

What if I do not like the place where I live?

Say so naturally and explain one specific reason, then mention a positive point or a change you would make. IELTS assesses your language, not whether your opinion is positive.

Official format sources

These sources establish that home and accommodation are familiar IELTS Speaking Part 1 themes and provide official format practice. IELTSpeaking wrote the model answers and teaching explanations on this page independently.

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